Mayor's concert release | San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson hosts US Presidential Inauguration send-off concert
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM HOSTS US PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION SEND-OFF CONCERT THURS. JAN. 15 FOR
SF BOYS CHORUS SF GIRLS CHORUS
Ian Robertson, Artistic Director Susan McMane, Artistic Director
Two Exemplary Music Organizations Chosen by Joint Congressional Committee to Represent US Arts and Youth at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington DC
San Francisco, CA, January 9, 2009 – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will send off two of the City’s finest youth and arts organizations as San Francisco’s contribution to the inauguration of US President-Elect Barack Obama with a special free public concert Thursday, January 15, at 4:30 p.m. in San Francisco City Hall’s Rotunda. The combined San Francisco Boys Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus will share the stage in Washington, DC, with Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and others for the January 20 Presidential Inauguration. The Mayor’s send-off concert on January 15 will feature the patriotic repertoire the combined Choruses will sing in Washington. The half-hour send-off concert is free of charge and open to the public.
“These two Choruses represent San Francisco’s finest,” says Mayor Newsom. “They embody the artistic excellence our City is known around the world for, and are the artists and citizens of tomorrow. It is a proud moment for San Francisco and the U.S. that these young artists will be featured at the inauguration and we wish them well.”
The San Francisco Boys Chorus, Ian Robertson, Artistic Director; and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, Susan McMane, Artistic Director—were invited by Senator Dianne Feinstein and the joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies for President Barack Obama to perform as part of the swearing in ceremonies scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2009, in Washington, DC. The two choruses were selected for their high level of artistic excellence, embodiment of the American spirit and promise for the future, according to Sen. Feinstein. A combined chorus of 86 (43 members of the San Francisco Boys Chorus and 43 of the San Francisco Girls Chorus) will travel to Washington to perform. (EDITOR NOTE: The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus are two separate and distinct organizations; please do not combine their titles. More information: San Francisco Boys Chorus www.sfbc.org and San Francisco Girls Chorus www.sfgirlschorus.org ).
About the San Francisco Boys Chorus
The Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Boys Chorus (SFBC) was founded by Gaetano Merola and Madi Bacon in 1948 to provide trained boy singers for the San Francisco Opera, and is today led by Artistic Director, Ian Robertson who also serves as Chorus Director for the San Francisco Opera. The San Francisco Boys Chorus is regarded as a leading music organization that provides transformational life experiences for boys age 5 to 18 through education, performances, and international tours. Over 200 singers receive world-class music education at three training sites in the Bay Area, and the San Francisco Boys Chorus appears at numerous civic engagements. New chorister auditions will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2009. For information, please e-mail contact@sfbc.org or call 415-861-7464.
About the San Francisco Girls Chorus
Celebrating 30 years of extraordinary music with its 2008-2009 season, the three-time Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus is recognized as one of the world’s most respected vocal ensembles. Its level of training, performance, quality and range, passion and leadership in commissioning music for treble voices are lauded by musicians, critics and audiences. Founded in 1978, the San Francisco Girls Chorus has become a regional center for choral music education and performance for girls and young women ages 7-18. More than 300 singers from 160 schools in 44 Bay Area cities participate in this internationally recognized program. Auditions for the San Francisco Girls Chorus are slated January 10, 2009, call 415-863-1752.
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CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE LIST
Mayor Newsom’s Inaugural Send-Off Concert for
The San Francisco Boys Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus
WHEN: Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco City Hall Rotunda
PROGRAM: Patriotic repertoire to be performed by the combined Choruses at the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama in Washington DC
ADMISSION: Free
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Please direct all media inquiries about the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus to Scott Horton, 510-735-9200 bluescott260@hotmail.com
EDITOR NOTE: The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus are two separate and distinct organizations, please do not combine their titles.
For more information about the San Francisco Boys Chorus, visit www.sfbc.org
For more information about the San Francisco Girls Chorus, visit www.sfgirlschorus.org
PHOTOS:
Downloadable photos of the San Francisco Boys Chorus are available here:
http://www.sfbc.org/press-kit.htm
Downloadable photos of the San Francisco Girls Chorus are available here:
http://photos.shcommunications.org/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=84631
Photos and video of both groups together will be available the week of January 12, 2009.
For details about the January 20, 2009, Inauguration of President Barack Obama, contact Carole Florman, Communications Director, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, at 202-224-2228.
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